Page 42 of Craze

“I think you will like this spot,” Tangle says as we glide into the cavern. “It has more privacy. I believe humans appreciate this. Is that correct?”

This one is smaller than the last and filled with little rooms and pillars of rock that merge the ceiling to the floor.

Aeri rests a hand on his shoulder as we stop. “Yes, thank you, Tangle.”

Tangle’s face deepens to a darker gold. I’m certain it’s his version of blushing. He gets down and reaches up to help her down. Aeri sits on the edge and lets him ease her down.

Macabre, Axe, and RamBash arrive just behind us. I can tell by the way they move that something has changed. There’s a determination in the way they walk and glance at one another that tells me they’re having a private conversation.

Navi>>Local: What’s going on?

Macabre looks at me. Muscles flex in his jaw.Bad news.

After losing over half of our group, I am determined to confront whatever we have to.Give it to us straight. Verbally please, so everyone knows. I don’t want to lose any more of our team.

Macabre slaps a bloody blade back into its sheath across his chest and motions us into the back. “We need to rest up and eat. In a few hours, we must leave, again. Solcrue found our last entrance. We are going to have to break topside in a new location, try to stay under their radar. They expect us to hide. We should not, or we may get boxed in. That means new trails and tunnels.”

Axe and RamBash pass me to take a scanner from Tangle.

“We will punch through by morning,” Axe says. In the headlights of the hoverdrone, his body gleams like a hundred blades melted together.

Craze stops them with a hand. “We need the fastest route, so they don’t figure out what we’re doing. Give them too much time to detect the pulses, and they’ll find us. We need to wait, do it while they sleep. Punch through while we have enough time to find cover and run proximal scans.”

“Look at you thinking things through,” RamBash teases.

Craze points to the wall. “You know which materials will cave to your fists and which won’t, do you not?”

“Avoid harder metals, stick with soil if I can.”

Craze nods. “I still have to think in the moment. But I can run hypotheticals if they’re presented. I may not know what the plan is for the days ahead—” He glances at Macabre. “But I know what I can do now.”

Macabre checks something in a large box on their Tacticat then closes the lid. “They have three warships on approach. Emissary LightBlades are back in orbit. We pulled the recordings. They’re descending together, tomorrow with plans to scour the surface for us.”

“So where do we go?” Shavih asks.

“Where would they least expect us to be?” I ask.

“In the tower,” Craze says. “But that’s dangerous.”

“Exactly.” I help Jeela down from the platform and give her a questioning look.

“I agree.” Jeela lets out a deep breath. “As much as the idea of going back goes against my instincts, my kind believe you are not thatdumb.”

“Some of us are verydumb,” Craze says with a goofy grin. “Idiotic at times. But that’s why we’re still here.”

Shavih squints at him. “I’m missing something.”

“Let’s just say that we’ll do anything to survive,” Craze replies. “If you think that meansnotrunning through a room filled with Solcrue with nothing on but a weapons harness and slinging grenades left and right, you’re mistaken.”

“No armor?” I ask in doubt.

“Disintegrated it on a cargo deck of that battledagger. Stole the harness from a dead Solcrue. Apologies, Jeela. But I had to knock his teeth through his head. Hurt my family and pay. That was my thirtieth team. And they were gone in one freak blast from some combination of an EMP blaster, bounty hunter Grimgun, and a gravpunch.”

Craze shrugs and digs a bag out of a crevice in the wall. “Ripped the entire deck from the ship. Killed Solcrue, too. But I wasn’t about to be knocked out into space by the worm that fired that weapon, and I still had a mission to complete.”

Shavih raises her brows like she can’t believe it either.

Macabre motions us into the cavern. “I’m sure you would all like a shower. Why don’t you go clean up while we prep some food? After a short rest, we’ll punch topside and make our way to the plant.”

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